


nervous

by bashstan



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Past Sokka/Yue (Avatar)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 15:48:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29611749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bashstan/pseuds/bashstan
Summary: Though they were a few years older and wiser, her stupid little crush on the Water Tribesman remained. She felt it was easier to hide now than it had been when she was young, but then times like tonight happened, and she felt exactly like the 12 year old girl she used to be, clinging to Sokka’s arm for dear life while flying through the skies.He had always taken her crush in stride. She knew he was aware she liked him, though it wasn’t immediately clear he understood she still felt that way. If anything, her crush had probably gotten more embarrassing over the years.
Relationships: Toph Beifong/Sokka
Comments: 3
Kudos: 52





	nervous

The night had started out innocently enough.

There was a gala for the fifth anniversary of the forming of Republic City and everyone had turned out, bringing old friends together for the first time in over a year in some cases. After the years they’d spent on their own camping together, it was nice to finally dress up and drink and be happy together. 

Toph, freshly 18 and establishing herself as Police Chief, had never been one for these types of parties. It always reminded her far too much of the ones her parents would throw when she was young, but she knew they meant a lot to everyone else, and the city’s success thus far was a big deal, so she showed up anyway. Zuko had sent a tailor from the Fire Nation to the city a few months prior to get her measurements, so now, she was sitting at a table in a custom-fitted dress she had been told was the same pale green color as her eyes. The tailor has also sent a pair of high heels, which were effectively ignored, left in the box they’d arrived in. Her bare feet were planted flat to the floor, keeping track of each of her friends as they danced around the room. The party had private security of course, but they’d sourced them in from outside her department, so she had trouble trusting them. A familiar cadence approached from her left and she couldn’t help but smirk and glance over her shoulder.

“To what do I owe the pleasure, Counselor Snoozles?” 

“You’re hilarious, Toph,” despite his remark, his voice was dripping with sarcasm, a standard when it came to Sokka. He didn’t give her a chance to respond before he was gently touching her elbow. “Come dance with me.” 

A bark of a laugh escaped Toph, and she felt Sokka’s sigh more than she heard it. “I don’t dance at these things, you know that.”

“You deserve to take a night off. We all know how hard you’ve been working. Let us celebrate you for a moment.” He encouraged, tugging her arm lightly. “C’mon, I promise to be as un-embarrassing as possible. Really, I’ve gotten pretty good at dancing at these things! I won’t step on your feet or anything!”

She knew there was no point in fighting with him, because he would just keep coming up with reasons to drag her out onto the dance floor, so she sighed and let him pull her from her chair. “If you make a fool out of me, Sokka, I swear, I’ll bend your bones.” She threatened, words empty. Sokka chuckled.

“Yes, Chief.” He replied, stopping on the hardwood floor, arranging Toph’s arms how he wanted them before leading a slow, waltz-like dance that matches the music playing. “Is this so bad?” He asked after a few twirls around the dance floor and as much as she hated to admit it, Toph was actually enjoying herself. 

“Alright, before you get too full of yourself, take a step back and remember that I’ve already had a few drinks.” She teased, making both of them laugh. 

“Good, you should be celebrating.” He mumbled, suddenly changing the position they had been dancing in to pull her flush against his chest. Toph could feel her face on fire, and quickly tried to distract herself by counting how many people were looking at them. It turned out useless though, because there wasn’t a single person in the ballroom paying them any attention. 

“What are you doing?” She asked after a moment, her voice softer than she’d meant for it to come out. 

“My arms got tired of holding form, but I don’t want you to run off thinking you’re done dancing already.” Sokka replied, no change in his heart beat, honest and earnest as ever. She felt a new wave of heat wash over her, feeling foolish for thinking he might have had ulterior motives behind the move.

Though they were a few years older and wiser, her stupid little crush on the Water Tribesman remained. She felt it was easier to hide now than it had been when she was young, but then times like tonight happened, and she felt exactly like the 12 year old girl she used to be, clinging to Sokka’s arm for dear life while flying through the skies. 

He had always taken her crush in stride. She knew he was aware she liked him, though it wasn’t immediately clear he understood she still felt that way. If anything, her crush had probably gotten more embarrassing over the years. 

When he’d turned 17, Sokka hit another growth spurt. He’d been living in the South Pole then, helping his tribe rebuild and establish trade routes with the neighboring nations, rebuilding the connection between the Poles, when it happened. His first trip to visit her at the Academy in Yu Dao, she wouldn’t have recognized him if not for the way he walked. His shoulders had widened, his arms and legs filled out with muscle, his face all hard angles. She made a big show about touching all over his face and down his biceps then, which had made him laugh.

Not much had changed since; he was still built large and strong. His hands seemed as if they had new callouses every time she touched them, but she didn’t mind the way the rough skin contrasted against his gentle touch. His hair was a bit longer, and he tended to wear it down with a few loose braids weaved through it these days, especially for Council meetings and formal appeances like these galas.

Her hand had been hovering awkwardly near Sokka’s shoulder, but it drifted down to rest against a fur and leather sash he was wearing that marked him as an important member of the Southern Water Tribe. She tangled her fingers in the fur, before smoothing it out as they continued to sway around the dance floor until the music changed tempo and Sokka stilled.

She lifted her head, resting her chin against Sokka’s sternum, hoping she had gone down a few shades of red and didn’t seem so flustered. “Everything okay?”

His heartbeat started to spike, but he took a breath to compose himself and then stepped away from her. He took Toph’s hand, slotting their fingers together. “Let’s go get a drink.”

Sokka led her to the bar, where he ordered them both another round, and placed the glass in the palm of her hand once it was handed to him. 

“Thank you,” she took a sip, but Sokka was already handing an empty glass back to the bartender, asking for another. “Hey, are you sure you’re okay?” She asked.

“Everything is fine, Toph.” Sokka assured her, and she heard ice jingle in his glass. His heartbeat was still a bit elevated, so it was hard to tell if he was lying or not. They’d stayed near the bar in silence for a few beats, before Toph grabbed Sokka’s sash and led the way toward a back door in the ballroom. “Uh, where are you taking me?”

“Cute that I have to trust you, but you don’t trust me.” Toph teased as her only response, making Sokka grumble under his breath. Otherwise, he let her drag him around how she wanted, not bothering to press for more answers until they were suddenly on a balcony that overlooked the ocean. She kicked up a rock to prop the door open for them, so they could get back through when they were ready, and settled her elbows against the stone railing before her.

“Did you need air?” He asked as his hand settled against the center of her back, rubbing gentle circles into the tense muscles there. She closed her eyes and inhaled, letting herself relax more.

“Just figured it would be nice to get away from the noise for a minute.” She explained, then turned to face Sokka with a smile. “Tell me what it looks like.” She said, referring to their view.

Sokka smiled and settled his drink on the ledge beside them, pressing his palms to the stone and taking in their view. She could feel his heartbeat slow back to something close to it’s usual pace. “It’s beautiful. Like flying over the city on Appa, you can see everything from up here. All the buildings and every street light, and the mountains to the west. And the sky is so bright, it's a full moon.”

Toph went quiet then, a little worried he would spiral. 

Sure, it had been years since things happened as they did, but she knew he still felt very connected to Yue and the phases of the moon. Instead of spiraling, though, he turned and reached a hand out to her, which she took with a little smile. As he pulled her closer, his heartbeat picked up.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” She asked, quietly. He huffed out an empty laugh and nodded.

“I’m fine. Just nervous, I guess.” He admitted, quietly and he shifted, some of his hair falling to rest on her shoulder.

“Nervous?” She asked, turning her head to look up at his face. He usually calmed when she looked in his direction, but instead, she felt his palm get impossibly warmer.

“Yeah. You make me so damn nervous sometimes, Toph.” He laughed again, squeezing her hand. “I… I’m also nervous because I know I’m several years late to the revelation, but it’s come to my attention that I really like you, Toph.” 

It was Toph’s turn to laugh, though she could feel her face heat up. “You’re only just realizing you like me? Jeeze, Sokka, I kinda thought you were my best friend all these years.” 

“I am. You’re my best friend in the whole world, that’s why I’m so nervous.” He said, no laughter in his voice this time. “I really mean it, Toph. As more than a friend.” He added, softly.

Toph could feel a little rumble in his chest, knew that he was trying to say something else, but she acted before he could say anything else. Her hand moved from where it was holding his, to around the back of his neck, and she tugged him down into a kiss.

It was just a soft, innocent, peck on the lips. When she pulled back, she ran her thumb over his lips and felt them curl into a smile under her touch. 

“Dummy.” She mumbled, making him laugh and shake his head. “That’s what you were nervous about?”

“So damn nervous.” He confirmed, kissing the pad of her thumb as he settled his arms around her waist, pinning her between himself and the edge of the balcony. “So you still like me, then? I didn’t wait too long?”

“Of course I still like you, Captain Boomerang.” She couldn’t help but continue to tease him, and the normalcy of it seemed to help his heartbeat return to normal. “I never stopped liking you. I’ve always had the most hopeless crush on your stupid face.”

“You can’t even see my stupid face to judge it, Toph.” He whined, playfully, so Toph brought her hand down from his neck to tug gently at his goatee.

“I know enough to know that /this/ looks dumb.” She smiled, before using her hold to tug him into another kiss.

Sokka wasn’t as caught off guard this time. He seemed almost prepared when she pressed her lips to his, quick to return the kiss. His lips were soft, and she felt his heartbeat start to quicken again, but that only egged her on. She let a particularly hard breath through her nose, and Sokka tightened his grip around her waist, gently tracing his tongue over her bottom lip. 

The door opened and sure enough, Katara was standing just inside the balcony. 

Toph pulled away first, burying her face in Sokka’s robes, a little disappointed she couldn’t see the look on the other girl's face. Sokka’s chest rumbled with a soft laugh, and as he turned his face to address his sister, his hand came up to hold the back of Toph’s head. 

“Hello, Katara.” He said, simply, which made Toph burst into giggles against him. Sokka’s hand on her hip pinched her side, but didn’t stop her. 

Finally, Katara moved a step closer. “I don’t even know why I’m surprised by this. Carry on, I guess. Or don’t.” She said, closing the doors behind her.

Sokka waited a moment, before he laughed, making Toph’s case of the giggles return. She kept her head pressed to his chest, even as their laughter died down.

“Was she mad?” Toph had been so distracted by every little movement of Sokka’s body, she hadn’t bothered to try to get a read of how his sister was reacting to the kiss she had stumbled upon.

“Nah,” Sokka assured, the hand on her hip shifting to rub the lower part of her back gently. “She knows how I feel about you. I talked with her a lot about this, actually. I don’t think she knew I was going to tell you tonight, but she wasn’t unaware of my feelings for you.”

“So you talk to your sister about me?” Toph asked, teasingly, letting her chin settle in the center of his chest, tipping her head upward toward his face.

“Spirits, you need to stop doing that.” He let out a breathless laugh, his hand on her back holding her impossibly closer. 

“I’m not even doing anything.” She mumbled through a smile, and when he tilted his head down to her again, she felt his braids fall against her shoulders.

“You know exactly what you’re doing, Toph.” He replied, leaning down to press a soft kiss to her lips again. “We should get back to the party, or Katara will tell everyone we’re out here kissing.”

Toph hummed, thinking that over for a moment. “Are you embarrassed to be out here, kissing me?”

Sokka held her tightly. “I’ll take you inside and kiss you in front of everyone to show you how dumb of an idea that is.” He threatened playfully, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I just think we should figure out what’s going on here when there’s not the chance of literally everyone we have ever known barging in on us, demanding answers for questions we’re not even sure about.”

Toph mulled that over for a moment, before tugging him by the sash back into the party. “I don’t care who has questions, or if we have answers. I want to stand on your feet while you spin me around on the dancefloor. Chop, chop.” 

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know what this is.
> 
> It's been in my drafts since November and I posted something else today, so. Have this.
> 
> I've been an ALTA fan since it premiered, but I weirdly never found myself writing fics. So. Have my first contribution to fandom.


End file.
